Formation of Residents’ Association welcomed by Independent

LOCAL Councillor Neil Johnson has welcomed news that the “Protect Culcheth Village” group, formed in the wake of the proposed closure of the CPS Centre, will become an official Residents’ Association for Culcheth and Glazebury.

The news was announced last week by local resident Gill Stott, who helped launch the local campaign group opposing the development.

Cllr Johnson said: “The news that we will have a formal Residents Association in Culcheth and Glazebury should be welcomed by all Borough and Parish Councillors.

“Giving the group this official structure allows many advantages. The group can act as a ‘one stop shop’, a central point from which to organise community-based campaigns. This will help us to get the message out in an efficient and coordinated way when (for example) we need our villages to unite and submit objections to unwanted planning applications. They can also collate issues and concerns which will then be fed back to the Parish Council for action.
“Residents Associations have worked well in other areas. I am certainly looking forward to working with them as the Independent voice of the people here in Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft.
“In the absence of an effective Parish Council, we need the input of community-minded people more than ever. I am particularly delighted that some long-standing residents are choosing to get involved and help to get the Residents Association off the ground, by taking on roles. This will put paid to any grumbles by out of touch Parish Councillors that the group is only made up of ‘keyboard warriors’. Quite the opposite! The Residents Association will include mainstays of our village.
“I am confident this group will allow us to have a much more joined up approach to local matters. Our response will be community-led and people powered. I hope the other Borough Councillors will choose to work in unity with them.”